As Complicated As It Gets
by danvseveryone
Summary: Me and Yondu have a complicated relationship. As complicated as a pirate kidnapping a grieving eight-year-old can get and not killing said eight-year-old. Don't think of what we're doing right now for him as an I love of any kind, think of it more like an I owed ya one for helping us save the world. (Or the AU where Peter and the guardians pick up an injured Yondu)
1. Chapter 1

The first real memory Peter has of being on the Eclector was being introduced to its captain, Yondu Udonta, a blue alien with a mouth full of metal teeth Peter couldn't keep his eyes off as he smiled at him. A group of jeering aliens of all backgrounds behind him smiling just as wide with teeth just as sharp as their captain. The then cabin boy and current first mate had the honor of holding down the boy who was determined to not go down without a fight (who would complain for weeks about the black eye the little boy had managed to give him) while another member of the crew implanted a chip in his neck to bridge the language barrier between them.

It normally wouldn't be painful, nothing more than a pinch but Peter brought the pain on himself fighting the way he was.

Grieving the death of his mother. Fearing the situation he had just landed himself in. He had every reason to fight but the captain didn't see it that way and told him as much when he was thrown on the ground in front of his boots seconds later.

"Listen here boy," he snarled yanking him in the air by his collar making the boy freeze in absolute terror seeing those jagged teeth up close and personal, "Everyone here on this crew would like nothing more than to beat your scrawny ass, none more than me, we can't kill ya yet but we can make ya wish you were dead. So, do yourself a favor and stop fighting."  
Peter hadn't stopped then as he wasn't about to stop fighting now even if his current battle was less life or death and more of an emotional kind.  
Peter only knew the names of two people aboard the ship for over six months, the then cabin boy and current first mate, Kraglin, was the only one to offer a proper introduction to the scared little boy who often hid in the vents to hide away from the rest of the crew.

And of course the ship's captain made sure he knew who he was, no one else's name mattered he had been informed, he should only know half would like nothing more then to kick his ass and the other half had never tasted Terran before and would like to get a taste. Yondu promised to keep them in line but only if he behaved.  
Peter never thought of these things, sober at least, he didn't like living in the past. He just wanted to keep pushing forward and ignoring anything that still hurt to this day. However, it wasn't so simple today.

For he was the captain now that Yondu should be grateful towards and a part of Peter wanted that pain he caused to fester and let it out on the man he had picked up moments ago on some backwards little planet, left for dead by a member of his crew too cowardly to fight beside his captain.

The problem with that was, Peter was a hero now, not some low life petty thief with a chip on his shoulder about how life had wronged him. Heroes didn't turn people away who needed help. Heroes didn't rub it in the people they saved faces. Even if those people did hurt him, even if all he wanted from those people, this particular person was an apology and an explanation why he did that to a child.

Peter wasn't dumb, he knew somewhere deep down Yondu cared for him, in his own Yondu way, and all he really wanted from him was an explanation of why he did the shitty things he did to him if he did care. What did he want from him all those years ago?

Maybe somewhere in him he was only do this to find out answers, maybe some part of him just wanted to be petty but he wanted no part of him to reveal his complicated emotions to his crew.

When Rocket had demanded why they were letting the bleeding, yelling man still threatening to kill them all onto their ship when they needed to get out of here before the bigger meaner guys chasing them caught up, Peter couldn't answer him right away.

This could be explained away by the fact that the man who raised him was still a very capable fighter even delusional from blood loss and Peter was just trying to keep that arrow off him but even later after settling the man who raised him down into his own bed and he settled down at the table to finally eat, he couldn't quite give his now captive audience an answer.

There was no averting this topic, no playing the radio over their questions, no running and hiding in his room. He had to give some kind of an answer, so he did and none of them bought it.

"Me and Yondu have a complicated relationship. As complicated as a pirate kidnapping a grieving eight-year-old can get and not killing said eight-year-old. Don't think of what we're doing right now for him as an I love of any kind, think of it more like an I owed ya one for helping us save the world."  
Whether they bought it or not, it clear Peter wasn't gonna talk about it anymore and they had to settle with him turning the radio up so loud none of them could get any sort of word in.


	2. Chapter 2

Yondu woke up sometime the next day after the drugs began to wear thin and scowled at the brightly colored poster greeting. "You're awesome" it said and Yondu only rolled his eyes at it, turning over so he didn't have to see it anymore and instantly growled at the more obnoxious 'Bork' poster with a Terran Creature he didn't recognize in a Star Ship surrounded by bright colors on his side wall.

Peter. This was Peter's room. That means he was on the Milano it seemed.

"Goooood Morning, sunshine," speak of the devil.

"What the hell did ya do now, boy?"

Peter set the tray he was holding on his desk (littered with crap like it always was) before taking a seat at the chair there.

"I didn't do anything this time, old man," he said with a sigh and a shrug, "Well, saved yer life and stopped Rocket from eating ya but that's what heroes are for."

"Uh huh. I'm sure," Yondu spat back at the boy looking him up and down, too smug, too happy and easy going, too Peter. He only prayed he wasn't stuck with the boy too long.

"The rat is so scary and I'm sure he would want to take a bite out of me," Yondu chuckled and Peter smiled brightly walking over to him to change his bandages. Yondu allowed him to without much complaint, just the usual accusation that Peter didn't know what he was doing that Peter chose to ignore.

"He ain't ever had centaurian meat and you're just lucky I was around to save ya."

"My hero," Yondu grunted out digging into the food Peter offered knowing the boy was too soft to ever poison him, even if he wanted to.  
"That's just what us heroes do," Peter said with a smile settling back down in his chair waiting patiently for Yondu to finish eating.

Peter wasn't completely against being petty and by the smug smile Yondu was wearing, he seemed to be taking it with good humor.

For now anyway.

After Yondu had fallen asleep, Peter slipped out of his room and went about putting everything back where it went. To his relief no one appeared to be awake now but him.  
Good. He didn't feel like discussing Yondu with them. Nothing happened and maybe nothing would happen.

As he was rinsing the dishes and just about to reach over to dry them, he nearly dropped his favorite bowl (and only one after Drax broke most of them last time he was drunk) when he heard Rocket spit his name out. He groaned, it was impossible to get any privacy now and of course his maybe father figure had to take his room from him.

"So how's the happy family reunion goin'?"

"Me and Yondu ain't family."

"Uh huh," was Rocket's response much to Peter's annoyance.

"He ain't threatening to kill me if that's what ya mean."

"So how long are we going to be keeping around your not family member around?"

"As long as we need to I guess," Peter responded keeping things vague much to Rocket's annoyance, "My ship, my call."

He heard Rocket take that breath, he was about to tell him off and demand answers so Peter quickly cut him off.

"I told him you would eat him if he got out of line and he really believes it," Peter said turning to his friend with his smuggest smile, "So you can keep yourself entertained with that knowledge until we get rid of him."

"Why would I want…?"

"You don't, probably, I don't know," Peter said with a shrug turning away from his friend and heading far away from him before he wanted to ask him why he really wanted to keep his former captor around, "But he doesn't know that."

Being petty and avoiding talking about his problems were just two things Peter was really good at.


End file.
